Baylor Religion Survey links, Sept. 11-17, 2006

National/International

• NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams, Sept. 12, 2006
  America is a nation of believers, study finds; Nearly 92 percent believe in God or a higher power; four images emerge
  DALLAS - The sounds of faith in America -- varied depending on culture, location or belief -- but also familiar, and for good reason. According to a comprehensive new study, America is a country of believers. Researchers at Baylor University found nearly 92 percent Americans believe in God or a higher power, and their image of who God is shapes their lives in profound ways. NBC's Don Teague reports.
  http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14805530/



• NPR, Sept. 12, 2006
  In what God do we trust?
  Do you believe in an authoritarian God, a benevolent God, a critical God or a distant God? That's what a group of Baylor University sociologists asked 1,721 randomly selected subjects in the most comprehensive national survey of religion ever.
  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6062558&ft=1&f=5251026



• CNN AMERICAN MORNING, Sept. 13, 2006
  Most Americans Believe in God
  "One nation under God" -- the phrase a point of controversy for some, but there may be more truth to it than ever before. A Baylor University study on religion in America found that nearly 92 percent of Americans believe in God or some higher power. AMERICAN MORNING's Delia Gallagher joins us with more. She's of course our faith and values correspondent.
  http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/13/ltm.03.html



• CNN Sunday Morning, Sept. 17, 2006
  One Nation Under God
  "One nation under God." It's a controversial phrase to many, but there may be more truth to it than ever. A Baylor University study on religion in America finds nearly 92 percent of Americans do believe in God or some higher power. But, see, not everyone has the same image of God.
  http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/17/sm.01.html



• WKRN-TV, Nashville, Sept. 15, 2006
  Comprehensive Religious Study Released
  In a study being closely watched by politicians, business owners and church leaders, researchers try to answer the question "How religious are we?" They've found that religion in America is not only surviving, but thriving.
  http://www.wkrn.com/nashville/news/comprehensive-religious-study-released

• USA TODAY, Sept. 11, 2006
  Americans' image of God varies
  The USA calls itself one nation under God, but Americans don't all have the same image of the Almighty in mind. A new survey of religion in the United States finds four very different images of God -- from a wrathful deity thundering at sinful humanity to a distant power uninvolved in mankind's affairs.
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-11-religion-survey_x.htm



• USA TODAY, Sept. 12, 2006
  Secular or 'unaffiliated'? Findings escalate debate
  The USA is not losing its religion, as other recent surveys have suggested, Baylor University sociologists say.
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-12-secular-unaffiliated_x.htm



• USA TODAY, Sept. 12, 2006
  Paranormal beliefs, from prophetic dreams to Atlantis
  Millions of Americans, particularly women, share paranormal beliefs and experiences "that don't fit under any religious umbrella," says Christopher Bader, one of the Baylor University sociologists analyzing the Baylor Religion Survey.
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-12-paranormal-beliefs_x.htm?csp=34



• USA TODAY, Sept. 12, 2006
  Who will get into heaven?
  Americans clearly believe in heaven and salvation -- they just don't agree on who's eligible. The Baylor Religion Survey finds that most Americans (58.3%) agree with the statement "many religions lead to salvation."
  http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-12-prayer-heaven_x.htm



• The Washington Post, Sept. 11, 2006
  Religious Affliation Underestimated in U.S., Study Shows; New Research Challenges Previous Religious Demographic Data
  In the ever-intensifying push by politicians, journalists and marketers to analyze Americans' religiousness down to its last molecule, did 10 million people get misplaced? That's the argument posited by sociologists at Baylor University, who released research today saying that the past 15 years of polling overestimated the percentage of Americans who say they have no religious affiliation.
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/11/AR2006091100459.html



• Christianity Today, Sept. 11, 2006
  God Really Is Winning; America has fewer non-religious, new survey asserts
  About 20 percent of Americans have read one of the 12 Left Behind novels or megachurch pastor Rick Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life. Nearly 50 percent have seen Mel Gibson's feature film, The Passion of the Christ. About 40 percent say that born-again or Bible-believing best describes their religious identity. Those are some results from the new Baylor Religion Survey, one of the most comprehensive studies of religion in America. Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) released initial survey findings today.
  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/137/21.0.html



• The Los Angeles Times, Sept. 17, 2006
  Multiple-Choice God; New survey reveals that Americans believe in four basic types of deity
  "IN GOD WE TRUST" it says on the penny, and a new survey of religious attitudes supports that sentiment. According to "American Piety in the 21st Century," a survey conducted for Baylor University by the Gallup Organization, 85 to 90 percent of Americans say "yes" when asked: "Do you, personally, believe in God?"
  http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-god17sep17,1,7173588.story?coll=la-news-comment



• The Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2006
  Americans See One God, but in Different Ways
  Is God wrathful and ready to mete out punishment to the evil and unbelieving? Or is God a more benevolent creator? Does God influence events on Earth, or merely watch human affairs unfold from afar? Such questions have been debated by scholars and theologians for millenniums, and now a study released this week by Baylor University explores how Americans answer these and other questions about the nature of God.
  http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-beliefs16sep16,1,6253869.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california



• The Los Angeles Times, Sept. 16, 2006
  Meet the New Evangelicals; Is a new generation of 'kinder, gentler' leaders suddenly putting the religious right in political play?
  Mao tse-tung famously wrote that, when it comes to power, inevitably "one divides into two." As the Communist Chinese leader explained the dialectic, when any group reaches a certain level of control, fissures expand into struggles that can result in division and displacement. In the suburbs of the Sunbelt, largely out of view of blue-state media, that is exactly what is happening in the world of evangelical Christianity.
  http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-oe-pinsky16sep16,1,2716102.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-california



• Washington Post, Sept. 17, 2006
  Gods of War
  President Bush spoke on Tuesday of a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States, linking it to support for the battle against terrorism. The survey American Piety in the 21st Century," released last week by Baylor University, reveals that regular churchgoers are more likely than non-churchgoers to trust Bush.
  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/15/AR2006091500986.html



• The Economist (subscription only), Sept. 14, 2006
  How Americans See God
  WHEN Homer Simpson opted out of church once, staying home to watch football and eat waffle-batter, he dreamed that God peeled off the roof of his house and appeared, furious, in the TV room. According to a new survey, 31% of Americans see God that way.
  http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_SJTNGSG



• Florida Today, Sept. 17, 2006
  Our view: Faith and ballots; Voters should be wary of groups that use God as a campaign prop
  In the heat of another election year, some religious groups and elected officials are proclaiming God is on their side and that if you're not with them, your faith is false.
  http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/OPINION/609170311/1004



• Seattle Times, Sept. 17, 2006
  Your God is likely supremely different from anyone else's God
  Some folks like to say everyone worships the same God. But we know that isn't exactly so, and now we have a description of how American conceptions of God differ.
  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/living/2003260259_jdl17.html



• St. Petersburg (FL) Times, Sept. 17, 2006
  I'll take a little of God A with a dash of God B.
  Americans may pledge allegiance to "one nation, under God," but they see God in four distinct ways, depending on how engaged they think God is in the world and how angry God is with us, according to the just-released Baylor University Religion Survey. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1128785261.html?dids=1128785261:1128785261&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+17%2C+2006&author=&pub=St.+Pet ersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=5.P&desc=I%27ll+take+a+little+of+God+A+with+a+dash+of+God+B



• The London Times (UK), Sept. 12, 2006
  America is revealed as one nation under four faces of God; A survey shows that the way Americans see the Almighty is closely linked to their political beliefs
  NINE in ten Americans believe in God but how they vote, or see the Iraq war, depends on the very different views they have about His personality, according to the most detailed survey of religion in the US.
  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2355486,00.html



• Associated Press/Los Angeles Times, Sept. 11, 2006
  Survey: 11 Pct. Not Tied to Faith Group
  More Americans are active in religious groups than previously thought and many others without ties to congregations still believe in God or a higher power, according to a broad survey of faith in America released Monday.
  http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-american-faith,1,168364.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines



• Chicago Tribune, Sept. 12, 2006
  Study: Americans not losing religion
  In what has been called the most comprehensive survey of the nation's faith since a seminal study in 1968, Baylor University sociologists reported Monday that Americans aren't losing religion, but defining their spiritual lives differently.
  http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0609120185sep12,1,2768564.story?track=rss



• The Mail Tribune (Medford, OR), Sept. 17, 2006
  Polls' real meaning? God only knows
  Many newspapers, including this one, led the story about a major new poll on organized religion with the factoid that only 10.8 percent of Americans have no religious affiliation, instead of the 14.3 percent reported in a 2004 study. It was a case study in burying the lead.
  http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/0917/life/stories/bvcol-4gods.htm



• Memphis (TN) Commercial Appeal, Sept. 13, 2006
  Americans more religious than previously thought, survey says
  A Baylor University survey of religion in America suggests that this is a more spiritual nation than previously thought.
  http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/faith_and_values/article/0,2845,MCA_25342_4988128,00.html



• The Kansas City Star, Sept. 16, 2006
  How we see God; A major new survey finds that Americans have four distinct visions of their deity
  How a person thinks of God is influenced less by Scripture and more by race, gender, education, income, politics and even where a person lives. Moreover, researchers say the type of God people believe in can predict their political and moral attitudes better than just looking at their religious tradition. This finding is part of the Baylor Religion Survey released this week, reportedly the most extensive survey of religion ever in the United State.
  http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/living/15528619.htm



• Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 16, 2006
  The Thumb: Things not seen
  It's hard to figure out what's more disturbing. Is it the fact that 18 percent of those participating in a survey on religious belief conducted by Baylor University expressed a belief in creatures such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, and 24 percent think we've been visited by spaceships from other planets? Or is it the fact that the survey by a Baptist-sponsored university even asked such questions as part of a survey about religious faith?
  http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_4349985



• Religion News Service/Florida Ledger, Sept. 16, 2006
  Survey: Many Religious 'Nones' Go to Church; Many people thought to be unaffiliated name a congregation
  WASHINGTON -- For years, researchers have thought the number of people unaffiliated with religion has been on the rise. But new research from Baylor University says some people who were thought to be disconnected are actually in the pews -- they're just not linked to a particular denomination.
  http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060916/NEWS/609160325/1326



• The Tennessean (Nashville, TN), Sept. 16, 2006
  Religion briefs: Survey finds different perceptions of God
  A recent survey by Baylor University in Waco, Texas, found that Americans subscribe to four distinctly different views of God, none of which predominates.
  http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060916/NEWS06/609160325/1023/NEWS



• The TC Palm (Fort Pierce, FL), Sept. 16, 2006
  Revs. Bob and Casey Baggot: So what do we really believe in?
  Last night we watched a newscast in which the recently published results of a study conducted by Baylor University were discussed. The study explored religious beliefs among Americans. The scale and scope of the project Baylor undertook were vast. The sample was large and diverse covering all ages, races, geographic locations, both genders, and many cultural groups. And the results were fascinating.
  http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/faith_and_values/article/0,2542,TCP_1155_4996294,00.html



• The Gary (IN) Post-Tribune, Sept. 16, 2006
  Reclaim life from the terror of Sept. 11 and cancer
  Any number of religious topics currently floating about could fill this space today.
  http://www.post-trib.com/cgi-bin/pto-story/neighbors/z1/09-16-06_z1_neig_5.html



• The Port Huron Times-Herald (MI), Sept. 16, 2006
  Study: God has multiple personalities
  Remember all that stuff you learned in Sunday school about the Triune God? You know, the father-son-holy spirit deity? Anyhow, all that Triune God theology apparently miscounted by one. Turns out there are four versions of God -- at least in the United States.
  http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060916/NEWS01/60916005/1002



• Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal (Tupelo, MS), Sept. 16, 2006
  CHARITY GORDON: Religion survey gives richer details about Americans' beliefs
  I didn't hear this story firsthand; a colleague passed it along. Nevertheless, it's funny enough to be true.
  http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=228399&pub=1&div=Lifestyles



• Springfield (MO) News-Leader, Sept. 17, 2006
  Bakker seeks sweet, redemptive revival in second coming
  He was sitting just a few rows in front of me. The famous TV preacher and his wife. The year was 1984 and I was sitting at the Park 51 Theater in Charlotte, N.C., on a date. We were watching one of the Karate Kid movies. So were Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker.
  http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/COLUMNISTS20/609170353/1109/OPINIONS



• Columbus (OH) Dispatch, Sept. 17, 2006
  Faith shapes political views; Some lawmakers are openly religious, others are discreet
  Striding near the Capitol during another day as one of what he calls God's "chosen people" who serve in the U.S. Senate, George V. Voinovich was very clear about why he has devoted so much time to defeating a proposal that would allow slot-machine gambling in Ohio.
  http://www.columbusdispatch.com/?story=dispatch/2006/09/17/20060917-A1-00.html



• New Jersey Star Ledger, Sept. 12, 2006
  Pollsters: your image of God will decide your path in life
  Most Americans have long professed a belief in God, with polls usually putting faith at 90 percent or higher. Even Alexis de Tocqueville, the famed 19th-century visitor from France, wrote of the strong influence of religion here.
  http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-8/1158037491269910.xml&coll=1



• The Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 12, 2006
  Study shows America flocks to church
  Americans are not turning away from organized religion, a new survey conducted by The Gallup Organization for Baylor University indicates.
  http://www.sltrib.com/ci_4323067?source=rss



• The Washington Times, Sept. 12, 2006
  Belief in God remains strong in U.S., poll finds
  Americans remain a people of great faith: 95 percent believe in God and just 11 percent have no religious affiliation, according to a survey released yesterday by Baylor University.
  http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060911-103338-8995r.htm



• United Press International (UPI), Sept. 12, 2006
  Survey: less of U.S. secular than thought
  A survey by Baylor University in Waco, Texas, has suggested that 1-in-10 people who choose "no religion" on a poll also name a place they go to worship.
  http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060912-103851-5899r



• Utah Desert Morning News, Sept. 12, 2006
  Views on God may affect voting
  Forget the red states/blue states explanation. The real measure of how Americans vote -- and buy and think -- has less to do with geography and more to do with how people imagine God.
  http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,645200758,00.html



• Family News in Focus, Sept. 12, 2006
  Does Your View of God Shape Your Political Actions?
  If you are a Bible-believing Christian, your life is an open book according to new research from Baylor University.
  http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0041941.cfm



• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sept. 12, 2006
  Survey: U.S. sorts God into categories
  More Americans are religious than previously thought, though some of them just don't know what religion they are. That's one conclusion of the Baylor Religion Survey, released Monday by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, which considers it to be one of the most comprehensive studies ever of Americans' beliefs and practices regarding religion.
  http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/166365/



• Hattiesburg (MS) American, Sept. 14, 2006
  Religion always will be a never-ending discussion
  Those who've asked for a directional shift in a hurricane's path understand a few things about a higher order more commonly referred to as God. They pray. According to a cover story in Tuesday's edition of USA Today, however, it may not be quite that simple.
  http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/OPINION01/609140335/1014



• Associated Baptist Press, Sept. 13, 2006
  Americans believe in four Gods, Baylor religion study finds
  WASHINGTON (ABP) -- Americans believe in four different Gods, according to a massive new study from Baylor University.
  http://www.abpnews.com/1361.article



• Associated Baptist Press, Sept. 13, 2006
  Religious affiliations just aren't what they used to be, report finds
  WASHINGTON (ABP) -- Americans may not be losing their religion after all, according to a massive new Baylor University study on faith in the United States.
  http://www.abpnews.com/1360.article



• Religion News Service/BeliefNet, Sept. 11, 2006
  Survey: Evangelicals Undercounted and Unaffiliated
  WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 -- For years, researchers have thought the number of people unaffiliated with religion has been on the rise. But new research from Baylor University says some people who were thought to be disconnected are actually in the pews -- they're just not linked to a particular denomination.
  http://www.beliefnet.com/story/199/story_19938_1.html



• Christian Post, Sept. 13, 2006
  Survey: "Evangelical" label less popular among Christians
  The most comprehensive national religion survey to date found that only a small percentage of Americans prefer to label themselves as evangelicals over other terms including "Bible-believing" and "Born Again."
  http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060913/24489.htm



• The Indian Catholic/Catholic News Agency, Sept. 14, 2006
  Majority of Americans see God as an angry judge, says new survey
  Washington DC (CNA) - A recent survey reveals that 9 out of 10 Americans say they believe in God but they hold four very different views and understandings of God.
  http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=3398

Texas

• Austin American-Statesman, Sept. 11, 2006
  Christians shunning labels; Baylor survey finds millions of Americans don't identify strongly with one denomination
  Bill Daniel says he would "never in a million years" identify himself as a Baptist. The 50-year-old CEO and his wife attend Lake Hills Church, a fast-growing, high-energy congregation in West Austin focused on evangelism and a strong relationship with Christ.
  http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/09/12/12religion.html



• Austin American-Statesman, Sept. 17, 2006
  Editorial Board: Keeping the faith
  A growing number of American Christians are indifferent to denominational labels, such as Baptist or Methodist, even if the church they attend is part of a denomination, according to a survey of Americans' religious beliefs by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University.
  http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/09/17/17baylor_edit.html



• The Houston Chronicle, Sept. 11, 2006
  Baylor study finds religion thriving in the U.S.
  WACO -- Contrary to the impression given on the campaign trail, Americans do not believe God favors one political party over another, according to a national survey released today by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion.
  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4177637.html



• Houston Chronicle, Sept. 12, 2006
  Statistical revelation: Religion going strong
  Religion is not on the wane in the United States, according to a national survey on faith released Monday. The American Piety in the 21st Century survey found that previous studies incorrectly counted 10 million people as having no religion.
  http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4179413.html



• Fort Worth Star Telegram, Sept. 12, 2006
  Study affirms strong faith affiliations
  Barely 1 in 10 Americans has no religious affiliation, a lower number than studies have shown in past years, according to a national survey conducted by a Baylor University institute with help from the Gallup Organization.
  http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/15498431.htm?source=rss&channel=dfw_state



• Baytown Sun, Sept. 16, 2006
  U.S. more active in religion than thought
  A recent survey conducted by Baylor University found that more people are active in religious groups than once thought.
  http://web.baytownsun.com/story.lasso?ewcd=44b284bb78265d6b

Waco

• The Waco Tribune-Herald, Sept. 11, 2006
  Ambitious BU study dissects piety
  We may be "one nation, under God," but Americans actually worship at least four versions of the Lord, according to the Baylor Religion Survey released today. American Piety in the 21st Century: New Insights into the Depth and Complexity of Religion in the United States, conducted by the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, leveled more than two dozen questions about God's character and behavior at 1,721 Americans nationwide.
  http://www.wacotrib.com/news/content/news/stories/2006/09/11/09112006wacbaylorrelig.html



• The Baylor Lariat, Sept. 12, 2006
  America, Split on Religion
  With most Americans barely able to agree on what's for dinner, it's no surprise that 95 percent of people believe in God, yet they disagree on what God is like.
  http://www.baylor.edu/lariat/news.php?action=story&story=41720



• KWTX-TV, Sept. 11, 2006
  Sweeping BU Study Finds Powerful Tie Between Religion, Opinion On War On Terror
  A sweeping landmark Baylor University study of 21st Century religion released Monday concludes "The relationship between religion and opinions about the war on terror are powerful and universal."
  http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/3888997.html



• KCEN-TV, Sept. 11, 2006
  Baylor research shows challenges in today's religion
  A team of Baylor researchers released a landmark study about the complex issue of spirituality in America.
  http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=10690



• KCEN-TV, Sept. 11, 2006
  Religion has become big business in America
  Does your faith have a price tag? The Baylor Religion Survey studied several spiritual issues in American life, including the religious marketplace.
  http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=10689